King Ramses' Curse
King Ramses' Curse is part one of the seventh episode of Season One, which aired January 21, 2000, preceding The Clutching Foot. Plot In the dead of the night, after stealing a slab from the tomb of King Ramses, two feline grave robbers are fleeing from the scene of the crime in their car. Pursued by the police, the duo decides that the best course of action is to hide the slab and return to its location once the authorities have given up the chase to retrieve it, as to conceal any evidence of their crime. They pull over to bury the slab at the nearest landmark in sight, which is the Bagge's water-pump. As they reenter their vehicle in order to escape, they are confronted by King Ramses himself, who demands that his slab be returned lest the thieves suffer his curse. The confused thieves, unaware of the curse, do not have a chance to react before they are surrounded by a swarm of locusts, which quickly devour both them and the car. Puzzled by the scene, Courage watches with curiosity from the farmhouse, but does not investigate further. The next morning, Courage cannot contain his curiosity and unearths the slab. The slab contains symbols of Ramses, water, a record player, and locusts. Courage shows it to his owners, but Eustace dismisses the slab as "garbage" and tosses it out the window. However, Eustace's opinion changes after learning from the Nowhere Newsman that the stolen artifact is worth one million dollars. Immediately, Eustace contacts the Nowhere Newspaper to place an ad for the slab, despite Muriel's condemnation of his behavior. Professor Frith arrives and tries to reclaim the slab, but Eustace refuses to give it up for free. That night, the ghost of Ramses returns, and this time threatens the Bagges. He orders Eustace to return the slab or he would suffer three "plagues", each worse than the last. Eustace, believing that the ghost is the professor in disguise, gives the ghost his customary response of "What's your offer?". The ghost unleashes the first plague. The representative symbol on the slab, the water, disappears, and the house subsequently begins to fill up with water. While Muriel is drowning, Eustace uses his scuba gear. Courage pulls a drain stopper in the basement and unblocks a drain, which, much to the ghost's annoyance, ingests the water defeating the first plague. Unfazed by the ordeal, Eustace again refuses the ghost's request, initiating the second plague. A skipping record that repeatedly chants "King Ramses, the man in gauze," permeates the air, driving the family insane. Eustace alleviates the noise by plugging his ears using cotton, but leaves Muriel suffering. Courage finds the source of the noise and destroys the record player with a baseball bat to stop the sound. Muriel insists that Eustace return the slab, but Eustace still refuses to do so without getting paid. The ghost then unleashes his third and final curse: the locusts. The insects begin to devour the house starting from the roof. As the house destructs, Muriel prepares food as a stress relief tactic. Courage and Eustace wrestle with the slab. Eustace finally gives in once he realizes how close they are to being devoured, allowing Courage to toss the artifact toward Ramses, which ends the curse. However, Eustace reclaims the slab and taunts Ramses, thinking he is now powerless. Annoyed, Ramses summons the locusts again, and Eustace is devoured. In the now in the destroyed house, Muriel is rocking Courage as usual. On TV, Professor Frith explains that the slab has been returned to Ramses' tomb and will remain protected for all time. The end of the episode shows the tomb of King Ramses, where Eustace has now apparently replaced Ramses on the slab, as punishment for his greed. Characters *Courage *Muriel Bagge *Eustace Bagge *Professor Frith (debut) *Nowhere Newsman Antagonists/Villains *King Ramses *Cat Thieves Quotes *'Eustace:' Well, judging by the markings and the obvious age of the relic, I'd have to say it would be... garbage! (he tosses the slab out of house) **'Muriel:' Eustace! **'Eustace:' Garbage! From King Garbage! Of the Garbage Dynasty! Stupid dog, always bringing garbage into the house. *'King Ramses': Return the slab or suffer my curse. **'Eustace': What's your offer? *'King Ramses': Aw, come on! Trivia *First (and only) appearance of King Ramses, first appearance of Professor Frith. *When Courage transforms into a boat, a sailor version of the Freaky Fred music can be heard. Errors * When Muriel runs away from the locusts (screaming), it shows her running into what is supposed to be the kitchen, but what the animation shows is clearly the backyard. * While locusts are frighteningly voracious, they only eat plant life, not living creatures and inanimate objects, as this episode suggests. * King Ramses does not give the cat thieves three chances to return the slab, unlike the Bagges. Gallery Cat Thieves Category:Episodes Category:Season 1